Speech is Silver
by lucelafonde
Summary: Styles is a new Doc in Arkham Asylum. Joker is intrigued. She helps him realize some things. Character sketch of some inmates feat. Joker, Riddler... Planned to be a LONG story. Eventually Batman/Joker SLASH


Dr. Styles took a deep breath. So this was it. The Arkham Asylum. She'd heard many rumours about this place and HOPED they were all true. She probably should have been scared, but she wasn't. She was excited. This place was like the Holy Grail of psychology. And she HAD become a psychologist because she was in love with the human mind after all.

She wondered what treating the patients in here would be like. She wasn't naive. She knew there was a good chance one of them would kill her. That's how the position got free in the first place.

Well, she thought, every job has its risks.

When she entered the building, the warden was already waiting for her.

"Ah, Dr. Styles", he greeted her. "You came after all."

"Are you kidding?", she said, chuckling. "I'd be crazy to let a chance like this pass."

"I'm not sure Dr. Falk would agree with you", the warden said drily.

"Good point", she nodded. "Killer Croc's work, I take it?"

"Indeed. But don't worry", he said with a forced smile. "You won't have to deal with him."

"I wouldn't mind", she said honestly and followed him through a couple of corridors after the security checks. "But he's not really my kind of criminal."

"Really?", the warden asked mildly surprised. "I thought your research featured the different forms of mutation?"

"My research does", she agreed. "In fact, I'm trying to find a cure for the physical manifistation of it. But that's my interest as a scientist. My interest as a psychologist is… very different."

"Most of our employees don't really sepparate like this", the man said suspiciously.

"I'm not most of your employees", Dr. Styles simply said. "You'll notice soon enough."

"Good to know", the man said and opened a door. "This is your office. Get comfortable. You'll start tomorrow, when you've gotten familiar with your patients' files."

"I will", she nodded and entered the room. "Thank you."

She closed the door and took a look around. Nothing fancy. Your typical office. Grey walls, grey desk, grey everything. It was… depressing. But Styles didn't care for the environment. She cared for the patients.

Quickly she got to the desk and took one of the files. There was a whole bunch of them. This would be a long night.

It was WAY past midnight when she heard footsteps on the corridor. Two people passed her office door, Styles could tell. That was… curious. She'd thought she was the only person left at this time of night. Apparently there was another workaholic besides her in this place.

Intrigued, she got out of her chair, lay down the file she'd been reading - the last one - and opened the door to step out on the corridor. The people had gone, so Styles just shrugged and wanted to return to her office, when she slipped on something. She managed to get a hold of the doorknob, otherwise she'd have fallen flat on her face.

Now DEFINITELY curious, she inspected the fluid on the floor closer. Water.

As she looked down the hallway, she noticed it was everywhere. This was odd. Where did it suddenly come from? She knew for sure someone had been cleaning this place a few hours ago. That only left one explanation: The two people she'd heard before.

Suspicious, she followed the trail of water. She already had a dark notion of what was going on, and she didn't like it.

"No need to be so rough", she heard a giggling voice say. "I'll be a good boy, promise."

Styles stopped at the corner and tried to overhear what was going on. There was a sound of metal rattling and a squeak that told her a cell was being opened.

"Of course", another voice said. "By the way, you can call me Santa Claus. And now shut up, you know what happens if someone hears you."

Something hit the floor with a damp noise. Styles would have sworn it was a person. The cell was being closed again and keys rattled. Someone laughed. It was a shrill, maniac laugh that told her, that the person laughing didn't really think it was funny.

"Isn't that JUST the most adorable thing?", she heard the first one giggle. "You really think you can control me, don't you?"

"I have… my methods…", the other one said and his voice suddenly got very low. "If you think this was torture, you really should join me in my… private lab sometime…"

It got very quiet for a very long time.

"You WILL regret this", the laughing person said, suddenly dead-serious.

"Know what? I don't think so", the other man answered. Now he was the one laughing.

Styles couldn't stand it anymore. She was more than certain that whatever this man was doing was highly illegal. She stepped out of the shadows and stood behind the guy outside the cell. He didn't see her, but the one inside did. A quick look at his grin was more than sufficient to tell Styles that that man was the Joker.

"Look: We have a guest!", he laughed delightfully and pointed at her. The other man whirled around in panic, but relaxed when he saw her.

"Ah", he said. "You must be the new doctor, I take it?"

"Cut the crap", Styles said harshly and nodded at Joker. "Explain this. Now."

"This?", the other doctor laughed nervously. "This is nothing. Just a few experiments to help…"

"I told you to cut the crap", she said, now seriously starting to get angry. "Do you think I'm stupid? Do I look stupid? Or was it something I said?"

The guy just stared at her, afraid to blink.

"Who are you?", she asked coldly.

"Dr. Miles", he said and watched her closely.

"So… Dr. Miles… How do you intend to justify throwing a patient into cold water in the middle of the night? You can practice on me now, before you do it with the warden."

"I…", he started, but she interrupted him.

"As far as I know there is NO scientific value to doing that whatsoever. Don't even get me started on the psychological. I think… it's torture. Do you agree, Dr. Miles?", she said and practically pierced him to the cell-door with her eyes alone.

"NO! I didn't… I mean I… I did NOT…"

"I think what he tries to say is that he didn't THROW me in the water", the Joker offered when it became clear that the doctor wouldn't be able to form a whole sentence. "He held me down and tried to figure out how long I could take it. I think we were both surprised at the results." He winked at Styles and giggled.

"What kind of cell is this anyway?", she asked and took a look around. It was like any other cell, but it lacked every kind of comfort. Like a cushion or a blanket, for example. "Where's his stuff?", she growled and took a step closer to the doctor. He couldn't back off any more, his back was already touching the cell.

"Some of our patients…", he started, but got interrupted again.

"Don't care", she said and got some distance between them again. "I'll take him. You don't even deserve a mind like his. I'll tell the warden, you just leave. He's my patient now, and if I EVER see you near him again, I will take you to MY private lab and I can tell you this: no kitties there. Got it?"

Instead of replying, Dr. Miles just ran. He ran as fast as he could and only stopped when he'd reached his office.

The Joker giggled happily and rocked back and forth on the floor.

"What a show! What a girl!", he squeaked and stopped all of a sudden. "So… you're my new doc, huh? Do you like jokes?"

"As a matter of fact, I do", Styles smiled and pulled out something shiny. "How do you like this one: While the guy was busy trying not to cry for his mummy, the girl stole his key."

"I LOVE it!", the Joker said and clapped his hands in delight. "You're gonna let me out?"

"I may be different, but I'm not stupid", she laughed. "I won't let you run free or anything. What I WILL do is getting you out of these clothes and into something dry."

"How boring", he sulked. "Though… This could be fun too. What are you going to do for me? I mean… It IS rather much to ask of me to get naked for you. I don't even know your name."

"My name you can have. I'm Dr. Styles. My pleasure", she added and slightly bowed. "Now let me get you less… wet." She opened the door and took his hand in order to help him get up. She half expected for him to cut her throat or the likes, but nothing happened. He just stood there and stared at her. She took that as a good sign and decided to go a step further.

"Listen", she said, never letting go of his hand. "If you PROMISE not to do anything stupid - this includes hurting me, yourself or others AND attempting to break out - I will take you to my office."

"And why would I wanna do that?", he asked all serious, suspicious.

"Because it's a nice change to this cell. Plus, I have cocoa", she said and stared into his eyes, challenging him.

"What makes you so sure I won't break this promise?", he growled and got closer.

"I could be wrong, of course, but I think you're a man of honour. Criminal or no, I trust you won't break a direct promise to someone who never harmed you."

"How… naive", he said but shrugged nonetheless. "Okay then. You seem interesting enough for now. I promise."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of a man like you", Styles smiled and pointed at the door. "Shall we?"

The Joker kept true to his words. He didn't do anything but follow her into her office. There he sat down on a couch and waited for the doctor to make his cocoa. She handed him a towel, jeans and a sweater. He looked at her, intrigued.

"And all that on your very first day?", he asked and started to dry his bright green hair. "Impressive."

"I like to be prepared", she shrugged and turned her back on him to make his cocoa and give him some privacy. When she turned around again, he was - surprisingly enough - still sitting there, now in the clothes she gave him.

"They even fit", he noticed as he took the cup she handed him.

"Must be your lucky day."

"Indeed", he laughed and took a sip.

"So… tell me something about you", she said after she sat down on a chair opposite to him.

"Outside of our sessions?", he asked in fake shock. "My dear girl, that would be cheating!"

"I didn't realize you were opposed to cheating", she smiled mildly.

"I'm not", he admitted grinning. "But I thought you were."

"See? Now we know something about each other. We're both not exactly the most honest people. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"So that's how you play? A secret for a secret?", the Joker asked and leaned back comfortably on the couch.

"Do you like games?", Styles asked in return.

"Perhaps."

"Then that's how I play. A secret for a secret. I'll start." She thought about it for a while. "Hm… Okay then. I don't have any family or friends, so threatening me isn't going to work."

"Aww, now Doc!", the Joker said in a faked hurt tune. "I'd never do that! It hurts me to know that you think so little of me."

"I'm not stupid, Joker", she said calmly. "I know what happened to some of the other doctors. I'm not gonna be one of them, I can promise you that."

"Huh", he said and started laughing. "If you say so. I guess it's my turn then? Hm… What could I possibly tell you that you don't already know?"

"How about what happened to you to make you look this… interesting?", she asked carefully.

"Now that story is boring", he waved it off. "No… What about this? I don't feel an urge to kill you."

"That's nice, thank you", she said honestly. "Why would you?"

"I don't know", he shrugged. "Always happened with the other docs."

"There's another secret", she said. "I completely get that. They can be very annoying sometimes."

"Now DOC!", the Joker said genuinely shocked. "That isn't something a good colleague should say!"

"It's true though", she said unimpressed. "Don't you just hate it when they say stuff like 'I know how you feel' when they really have no idea?"

"I do. I'm just surprised you do too", he said and watched her closely.

"I'm not gonna say that", she assured him. "Your turn."

"Hm… Let's see… Ah yes!", he said happily. "One day, I'm gonna kill the Batman."

"That's not true", Styles simply said without explaining herself further.

"What?", Joker said perplex and watched her take a sip of what he assumed was coffee.

"You're not gonna kill Batman", she said.

"Of course I will", the Joker insisted. "I can do it!"

"I never said you can't", the psychologist explained slowly. "I'm saying you won't."

"You'll have to explain", he said after a few minutes of silence had passed.

"You won't kill Batman, because then your life would have no meaning", she shrugged.

"My goal has always been to kill him", the Joker said. "Of course I will do it eventually."

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will."

"Won't."

"Will!"

"Nope."

"YOU!", the Joker smashed his hand on the table very loudly. "I WILL kill Batman one day. You'll see."

Styles looked at him without doing so much as blinking for a few very long seconds. Then she leaned forward, her face had become very serious, just as her voice.

"Listen to me very carefully, Joker", she said slowly. "Killing Batman will only make you worse. It won't help you. It will destroy you. It would be like killing a part of yourself. You can't. You won't. You may think you will NOW, but when the time has come, you won't, because you'll realize that without Batman, your life is meaningless. I beg you, for YOUR sake: don't do it. Don't even try. It would be suicide, and you're just not the type."

The Joker looked at her for a very long time before he finally moved. When he spoke, there was no smile on his face, no laughter in his voice.

"Gee, you're annoying."


End file.
